Why African leaders were bussed to Queen Elizabeth II funeral

LONDON, UK

Several photos have surfaced on social networks showing African heads of state including Kenya’s president William Ruto and Tanzania's president Samia Hassan being transported to the venue of Queen Elizabeth's state burial at Westminster Abbey in London.

While all foreign dignitaries were transported by a fleet of buses, US president Joe Biden and his wife, Jill were allowed to travel to Queen Elizabeth’s funeral service on Monday, September 19 in an armored presidential limousine: “The Beast”.

As the funeral leads trends across social media platforms, with the hashtag #queensfuneral, it appears many social media users are not happy about this arrangement which was announced days ahead of the funeral.

According to the UK's Express news portal, the White House demanded that Biden travels via a six-car motorcade for “security reasons”. Their request was granted by UK officials hence the development.

The publication further claimed that the rest of the guests were transported in buses to “ease traffic congestion”.

However, according to reports, Biden was not the only one excluded from the VIP bus ride. Others included the royal families from European countries.

Also, on the list were leaders of G7 countries, like France’s Emmanuel Macron, Japanese Emperor Naruhito, and Canada’s Justin Trudeau among others. This is also for “security reasons”. - Africa